


Second Chance

by torino10154



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Ficlet, Homophobia, M/M, Pre-Slash, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-14
Updated: 2009-11-14
Packaged: 2018-01-10 00:05:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1152427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torino10154/pseuds/torino10154





	Second Chance

Severus squeezed his eyes shut against the pain but it never came. Maybe he had died after all in spite of all his preparations and contingency plans.

Slowly he opened his eyes but the room was far too bright so he shut them once more.

He heard voices he recognized. McGonagall, Pomfrey, Slughorn.

There were strange ones too. Potter. Why was _he_ here? 

Memories stirred in his mind.

Ah, not _that_ Potter but the other. 

Had they all died? Surely he and Potter had. He sighed deeply.

"Professor?" 

Severus opened his eyes and met the emerald orbs he'd dreamt of for as long as he could remember. 

Was this heaven or hell? 

The boy grasped his hand.

Hell, then.

"I'm so glad you are alive, sir." The boy bit his lip. Definitely hell. "There's something you should know—" He was cut off by Madam Pomfrey.

"Oh, Severus, thank the heavens." She fussed, waving her wand over him. "Potter, go fetch Professor McGongall. She needs to explain the situation to Severus."

"I could do it," Potter said.

"No, I don't think so." She glared at the boy. "Go."

"Right." Potter then turned and looked at him, a goofy grin on his face. "I'll be back soon, Professor."

"My wand," Severus said, his voice rough.

"Of course. It's right here," Madam Pomfrey replied and handed him the ebony wand. It felt wonderful to have it back in his hand, the magic running down his arm like electricity. But that's when he noticed it.

His fingers weren't stained with Potions. They looked years younger. Without thinking he yanked up the sleeve of his robes and stared down at his left arm. Free of the Dark Mark for the first time since he was seventeen. 

A cruel hell this was. Had he really deserved this sort of punishment? The answer was yes but he'd hoped he'd atoned but that wasn't meant to be. Before he could despair any further, McGonagall swept in.

"We thought we'd lost you," she said quietly. 

"I cannot endure this much longer, Minerva. I'd rather be tortured by Death Eaters for all eternity than listen to everyone feign sadness at my death."

"You aren't dead, Severus."

"The hell I'm not," he seethed. "As if the Chosen One himself would sit at my bedside praying for my miraculous recovery."

Minerva looked stern. "Harry _saved_ your life." She paused. "Although there was an unintended consequence." She looked toward his still bare arm.

"You are telling me Potter saved me and somehow removed my Mark?" Severus huffed. 

Potter stepped out from behind the screen that surrounded Severus's bed. The brat looked happy about something. Severus wanted to smack that look off his face. Or kiss it off.

Hell, definitely hell.

"I should have known you'd eavesdrop," Severus snarked. He turned back to Minerva. "Is there anything else I should know?"

She looked at Harry. He nodded and turned toward Severus.

Severus held up his hand. "I'd rather you told me, Minerva. Potter is incoherent on his best days." They both frowned at him. "Well?"

"Potter used the Elder Wand," Minerva started.

"That's ridiculous," Severus snapped. "The Hallows aren't real."

"Professor," Potter interrupted. "Voldemort tried to kill you with it but it wasn't yours or his, it was mine. I used the Elder Wand to make you whole again. To _repair_ you."

"I'm not a broken broomstick, Potter." Severus glared into those green eyes but Potter didn't flinch. There was something about dying, apparently, that diminished his formidable presence. Potter ran his hand through his hair nervously although his face still wore that hint of a smile. Severus desperately wanted to kiss it off. 

He meant _smack_ it off. 

"Wait and let me finish and then you can throw me out on my ear. The whole time I was thinking I wished I'd known you better, wished we could even have been friends. I even was a bit angry with my mum for giving up on you."

"Do not _dare_ blame your mother for my poor choices, Potter," Severus hissed, his face likely purple with rage. He suddenly felt exhausted. He scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed. "Is there a point to this endless drivel?"

"Yeah, I wanted to have you as a friend, Snape. As luck would have it, I only got half my wish. You're still you, that much is obvious. Only now your body is seventeen, just like mine." Potter laughed bitterly.

Severus felt the blood draining away from his face. He looked at his hands again. He touched his face and his skin felt smoother. 

Minerva handed him a handheld mirror. He reached out to take it, Potter eyeing him nervously. Very slowly he moved it in front of his face and unable to refrain, he gasped at the sight. He truly was a teenager again. The crow's feet were gone, his skin wasn't quite as sallow, and his nose hadn't been broken yet.

He turned to Potter, his fingers clenched around the handle of the mirror. "You did this."

"Yes." Potter looked a bit sick. Good.

"He was trying to help, Severus," Minerva said soothingly. 

"Help? I was meant to be _dead_ , Potter." He laughed like a patient destined for St. Mungo's. "Where do you suppose I'll go now? I certainly won't stay here and teach or, heaven forefend, resume my most recent post."

"No, I shouldn't think that would be appropriate, Severus."

"He can stay with me!" Potter blurted out.

"Surely that is inappropriate, Potter."

"Why?" The boy actually looked confused. Simpleton.

"Propriety." Potter just blinked at him, face blank. "We are both unmarried men, barely of age apparently."

"It isn't done, Potter," Minerva said, looking a bit stunned. 

"Two blokes can't live together? What about Sirius and Professor Lupin?" Severus would have burst out laughing if he was the sort that laughed on a regular basis. Instead he just raised a single eyebrow. 

Minerva blushed then cleared her throat. "Precisely. They were—"

"They were shagging, Potter," he said hoping to shock him. The reaction wasn't what he expected. 

"That explains a lot," Potter finally said, his smile widening until he turned to face Minerva. "What?"

"I don't know how things are in the Muggle world, Harry, but we're still rather proper in the wizarding world."

"And flaming poofs can't shack up together," Severus said still attempting to shock his former student, although his current age made than less than likely. He hadn't been very imposing when he was seventeen.

"Severus, you are being purposefully disgusting." Minerva looked down her nose at him although he didn't look away.

Potter seemed to be taking all of this in stride. "So Snape can't live with me because people will think we are 'flaming poofs'?"

"Quite." Minerva's tone suggested just what she thought of _that_.

"Maybe the wizarding world needs to catch up a bit," Potter said his eyes never leaving Severus's.

"Potter, do you know what you are doing?" Minerva said, looking at Potter as if she were seeing him for the first time.

"Flying by the seat of my pants, just like I always do," he cheekily. "What do you think, Snape?" 

Severus still didn't really understand how he'd survived, what exactly Potter had done but for whatever reason he had the chance to start over. It really wasn't a difficult decision at all. 

"I have nowhere to go and this _is_ entirely your fault. I suspect your legion of fans will be heartbroken however I for one can not imagine my reputation will suffer any further for the association." 

Potter grinned and Severus told himself he didn't find it attractive at all.


End file.
